Wierd nipping and first introductions

Question
Hello,
I just bought my second little furry friend and am curious as to what the best ways are to get them to get along.My big guy is 3 years old and she is 3 mo. old. How can I tell if they are fighting or just playing? Also, this new baby will crawl up my chest and sit there licking my throat right at the collarbone line in the middle and then nip and dig at my throat pretty roughly. No broken skin, but a few scratches and almost hicky looking marks. Any suggestions or ideas??

Answer
Dear JJ,

Congratulations on your new ferret!  

Now, as you may or may not know, ferrets have to establish some kind of hierarchy between them.  The older ferret probably wants the kit to know "I'M THE BOSS HERE" and will wrestle with her to establish dominance.  You may hear the kit squeak or squeal in defeat, and then usually the elder will let go.  It takes time for them to work it out, so try not to interfere with this process.  Separate them if the kit is getting hurt, or if you see blood.  My guess is, they'll be playing together faster than you know it!

Now about the nipping.  I once had a kit, Jasmine, that would lick lick lick lick lick the skin on my arm and then WHAMMO!!  She'd not only bite, but latch on and shake her head to and fro like a rabid dog.  It hurt, plus she'd nip anything anytime if she wanted attention.

Here's what I want you to try:

1. When she nips you, pick her up and give her a loud, sharp NO!! then put her down on the floor and ignore her.  She'll learn, over time, that the nip was the source of your anger and stop doing it.

2. Alternatively, you can behave like a mother ferret.  When she nips, scruff her by the skin on the back of the neck and hold her this way until she calms down.  Then drag her across the floor about 2-3 feet on her back, holding firmly to the scruff.  When you let go, you ignore her for 5 minutes.

3. Put a few drops of FerreTone or FerretVite on her favorite nipping spot once a day and let her lick it off.  She'll learn that that spot tastes delicious when licked, but she'll get yelled at or scruffed when she nips it!

4. If these don't work in three months, try giving her a five minute time out in a carrier.  DO NOT give time-outs in her cage; her cage is her home and her safe-haven, don't turn it into punishment.  And no more than 5 minutes, they won't understand anything beyond that.

My ferret Jasmine stopped nipping after 6 months of patient training.  Sometimes they get the message right away, other times it takes a lot of patience.  But it WILL get better if you are consistent in your training.

Sincerely

Stephenie